Strongheart Was the First Canine to Become a Major Movie Star in Hollywood and Paved the Way for Other Dogs

by Liz Publika

When German Shepherds first started to appear on the silver screen at the turn of the previous century, they were still a very new breed. This means that by the time Etzel von Oeringen was born, most people around the world had not yet been familiarized with his kind. It's hard to say if this was one of the reasons he became as famous and accomplished as he did, but Etzel was the first major canine star of Hollywood. 

Strongheart

Bred by Robert Niedhardt of Quedlinburg, Germany, Etzel entered this world on October 1, 1917. Before solidifying his place in film history, he was trained as a police dog in Berlin and even served in the German Red Cross during World War I. Sadly, by its end, Etzel's owner was left in destitute and had no real way of caring for Etzel. So, trusting a friend who operated a kennel in White Plains, New York, he sent the dog to America.

By this time, Etzel was three years old and 125 pounds. The new handler was tasked with finding the dog a home. Realizing that exposure helps publicity, he entered Etzel in a competition with his peers — the sixth annual Shepherd Dog Club of America in 1920 — where Etzel placed third in his class. He was described as "immense in body and hind leg formation, in body and legs a trifle better than either of the dogs above him."

Luckily, the dog was spotted by film director and dog trainer Laurence Trimble, who had owned Jean, the first canine movie star in the United States. Realizing the dormant potential in the strong and intelligent Etzel, he persuaded screenwriter Jane Murfin to purchase him and put him in a film. The publicity department for the project gave Etzel a new name, one that they believed reflected the dog's true character: Strongheart.

But it wasn't smooth sailing from the start. One major issue was that Strongheart had not socialized much with human beings. In Hollywood, it took Trimble months to soften the dog's harsh police-style obedience. He kept the dog nearby almost non-stop for months, using constant reward-based training to shape positive behavior. The effort eventually paid off and Strongheart became easy to work with.

The trio formed a rather effective team and released four outdoor adventure films, with Murfin writing the scripts, Trimble training the dog, and Strongheart doing the acting. These were The Silent Call (1921), Brawn of the North (1922), The Love Master (1924), and White Fang (1925). Strongheart's work captured the hearts of viewers, especially young kids, elevating the prestige of German Shepherds around the world.

While the dogs that came before him mostly appeared in comedies, Strongheart took on dramatic roles. According to a story published in the Los Angeles Times in 1925: "Strongheart has been so well trained in police methods that he can tear the clothing of a person to shreds, knock him about in a terrifying manner, and (for screen purposes) kill him deader than a [sic] door nail without leaving a scratch to tell the story."

"It is this, together with his wonderfully understanding expression, that makes him so valuable to the movies," continues the article. "Just how valuable only Mrs. Murfin [his owner] knows, but it is estimated that he has earned no less than $2.5 million since entering pictures and his income tax alone in one year was said to be $38,000." And Murfin used some of that to take good care of Strongheart.

Aside from his happy life at home, the canine star of Hollywood was adored by fans everywhere: "Strongheart was given the star treatment, traveling by train to make personal appearances, at which he was greeted by crowds of adoring fans." With coverage appearing across all of the available media formats, the dog became an international sensation that paved the way for the next generation, like Rin Tin Tin.

The famous canine also had a thriving personal life. According to Strongheart's biography: "Love came his way when he was paired with Lady Jule, a female German Shepherd who co-starred with him. The happy canine couple produced many litters, including offspring who would sire pups who grew up to be movie stars themselves." In fact, both Strongheart and his successor, Rin Tin Tin had fathered offspring.

Sadly, an on-set accident in 1929 ultimately cut Strongheart's flourishing career short; while filming another movie, the dog accidentally made contact with a hot studio light that burned him, causing a tumor to form and leading to his untimely death. But he did not go alone, he passed away at Murfin's home on June 24,1929, at eleven years old. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 30 years later, in 1960.

While Strongheart was a celebrated dog, almost all of his films have been lost to time. But we do have a few that still remain. One of these is The Love Master (1924), and the other is The Return of Boston Blackie (1927), which is the one featured in this post. It's a low-budget silent drama based on a character created by Jack Boyle for a series of short stories that appeared in different magazines.

Directed by Harry O. Hoyt and written by Leah Baird. The movie is about a former jewel thief who was just let out of jail and looking to start a new life. He meets a pretty blond who has stolen a necklace from a cabaret dancer, who was gifted the necklace by the blond girl's philandering father. Blackie must find a way to return the necklace to the owner's safe without arousing the suspicions of the girl's family.

The Return of Boston Blackie (1927)

A complete print of The Return of Boston Blackie is held by the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York. The film was released on DVD with a score by David Knudtson by Grapevine Video in 2014. But you can watch the original version right here, right now:

Note* Images are available via Fair Use and Public Domain.